Completed Projects

Vaccine Platforms: State of the Field and Looming Challenges

Vaccine Platforms: State of the Field and Looming Challenges (PDF)

To date, the pharmaceutical response to emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism has been characterized by a “one bug, one drug” approach, where specific medical countermeasures—effective vaccines and therapeutics—are developed, manufactured, and deployed. However, over the past several years, platform technologies have been developed that could make it possible for multiple vaccines to be more rapidly produced from a single system. Such an approach may have major benefits for pandemic preparedness.

To further characterize these technologies and concretize their value, the Center completed a project that explored the state of the art with respect to vaccine platforms, identified promising platform technologies, addressed regulatory challenges, and assessed the promise of vaccine technologies with a view to pandemic preparedness.

Project team lead: Amesh Adalja MD

Project team: Thomas Ingelsby MD, Anita Cicero JD, Matthew Watson BS

Project supported by: Open Philanthropy Project

Resources: Final report

Date completed: April 2019